Mancini, who has gone from saying the player was "finished" to suggesting a return was possible if he apologised for his actions to dismissing as "impossible" the chance of him ever appearing for the club again, softened his stance once again.
"If Carlos is here and he is fit maybe it is possible," the Italian said when asked if Tevez, who has not played since refusing to warm up in a match in September and who has returned home to Argentina without permission, could return to action.
"I hope for him that maybe in the last three months he did training for his condition."
He has been fined six weeks' wages for gross misconduct over his disappearance to Argentina, a punishment he is appealing against to the Premier League, and has also not been paid while he has been absent.
"In my mind now I have only one situation - the Premier League [title]," said the Italian, whose side are top of the table on goal difference from champions Manchester United.
"I have this situation, other situations are not important."
"January was a very hard month but it is still important that we are on the top," he said referring to a month where City lost four matches, including two in the league.
"We don't have any reason to have pressure because we never thought that we can win this title in January or February... the end of April maybe, after the [Manchester] derby.
"It is impossible to stay on the top for five months and not have any problem.
"We have scored 60 goals, we have the best defence in the Premier League - this says we did very well. It's important to go our way, to not think of other teams. This championship depends only on us, not on others."
